Survivors of the historic “Battle of Kohima” gathered in York, north England, to remember their fallen comrades who strove to halt the Japanese army’s invasion into British India during World War II.

Nearly 4,000 British and Indian soldiers lost their lives, while up to 7,000 Japanese perished during the battle fought from April 4 to June 22, 1944, around the town of Kohima in northeast India.

It was later described by Earl Mountbatten as probably one of the greatest battles in history and it proved to be the turning point in the Burma Campaign.

Survivors of the battle and their relatives gathered at the York Minster this week for a service of remembrance to mark the 64th anniversary.

The congregation, which included many serving members of the Army based at Imphal Barracks, heard a reading of Pericles’ Funeral Oration and also the poem “No Tears Were Shed At Kohima”.

Following the service, at which one of the hymns was “I Vow To Thee, My Country”, wreaths were laid at the Kohima Memorial in the Minster Gardens.

Major (Retd) Gordon Graham recited the well-known Kohima Epitaph: “When you go home today, Tell them of us and say, For your tomorrow, We gave our today.”

Bill Hays, a former corporal with the Lancashire Fusiliers and a member of the 2nd Division, who was at the battle, remembered the initial siege, said: “The battle was absolutely tremendous. What you got was firepower through the day and through the night. You could not move. They bombarded it and bombarded it.”

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